In a world filled with interactive game systems, two hour action-packed movies, and a constant need to be on the go, it’s often difficult to convince a kid to sit down with a good book. Gone are the classic tales of adventure such as Treasure Island. Even award-winning novels like The Giver and Sarah, Plain and Tall, though short, are not liable to grab the attention of non-readers. Here are a few recommendations to get an uninterested child interested.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Kids relate to diary-keeper Greg, whose entrance into middle school is marked by encounters with kids older, meaner, and taller. Greg wants what every other adolescent boy wants: to fit in.
Chapter book meets graphic novel describes Kinney’s bestselling book. . With handwriting-like typeset and stick figure illustrations on every page, Diary of a Wimpy Kid has easy-to-read page with a large font that won’t intimidate. The story is punctuated with illustrations, and there are no difficult surprises or twists in the story that often make comprehension a challenge.
Sidways Stories From Wayside School
Since an entire book at once can be intimidating for the non-reader, Sachar has solved the problem with a book that can be considered a collection of interlocked short short stories.
Wayside School was supposed to be built with thirty rooms on one level, but instead it was built with each room one on top of the other, and Ms. Jewel’s class meets on the top floor. Each chapter centers on the quirkiness of one character—a boy who can only read upside-down, a wet rat masquerading as a new student, a boy with the constant temptation to pull the pigtails of the girl seated in front of him. But what makes it appealing to the non-reader is that the characters and their odd characteristics flow over into the subsequent chapters, helping with comprehension and character recognition.
Kingdom Keepers
For any kid who imagines himself inside his favorite video game, Kingdom Keepers has the adventure, action, and mystery for him.
Meet Finn. He and four other kids are the templates for holographic hosts inside Disneyworld’s Magic Kingdom. The glitch? The five kids wake up in the middle of the night, inside the park, as their holographic representations, and they’re on a mission: to stop Maleficent and her evil Overtakers from gaining complete control of the park.
With short chapters centering on one action or a single event before moving onto the next, Pearson’s form appeals to hesitant readers. The humor is present-day, pop-culture savvy. Kids are likely to recognize the licensed Disney characters even if they’ve never set foot in a Disney theme park.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney, Amulet Books, April 2007. ISBN: 9780810993136
Sideways Stories From Wayside School, Louis Sachar, Harper Collins, August 1985. ISBN: 9780380698714
Kingdom Keepers, Ridley Pearson, Disney Press, April 2007. ISBN: 9781423105459
